I Can't Believe It's Not a Game!
by LightofPurgeandShadowofEmbrace
Summary: Two Years before the upcoming Heaven's Feel, a new app is released for free. A game which deals with something very familiar to those of the Moonlit World…
1. Prologue: Release

**I do not own anything related to the Fate Franchise or Typemoon, I'm only responsible for how this story is written.**

 **I Can't Believe It's Not a Game!**

 _ **\- Prologue: Release -**_

Mitsuzuri Ayako was a girl with a variety of hobbies.

While mostly known for her passion for martial arts, she was also a fan of video games. So long as she did not let her grades and her training decline, her parents had no problem with buying her new games of her favorite genres. Being a natural hardworking person, Ayako was good at balancing her time between her family, her friends and her duties, and still make some space to visit a game center or just play at home.

That said, she enjoyed playing with other kids, whether it was sports or even videogames. In the latter case, however, it was a little more difficult since her closest friend was very bad at games.

Scratch that, Tohsaka Rin was pretty bad with anything that involved technology more complex than a home telephone. She didn't even own a cellphone until some weeks ago! It was in fact her friend's poor ability with technology which allowed Ayako to see a different side hidden beneath the façade of the polite and high-class student that Rin used to speak with almost anyone else.

Still, since Rin was not a fan of spending time doing something she was so bad at, Ayako only made her attempts at inviting her to play videogames from time to time.

And now, it was one of those times.

A new game had been announced for release recently as a free download app, and after looking at the description of the gameplay, Ayako believed she had found the way to encourage her friend into joining her hobby without feeling frustrated. And so, she told her friend at school about her new finding.

"So you are saying that this game promotes cooperation instead of competition, and that I won't get left behind by a bunch of rich kids or old men who can always just empty their wallets to make their way?" Rin asked for confirmation.

"Exactly, Rin-chan. So you can take your time to get good at this game without feeling pressed by others ruining your fun", -she answered.

Rin still didn't look convinced.

"It's not like that. Of course I don't care about those cheaters who need to spend real money which could be used for more important things. It's just… well… I'm not good with all this stuff you know?"

Sighing, Ayako persisted.

"Rin, you have to learn how to use something more than a TV or a radio for your future, and I think this is the perfect time to learn" She spoke to her friend as if she was a mother chastising her child for being stubborn.

"But I'm fine with using the phone at home and I can always speak or play with you at school".

"Rin I can only speak to you when I'm at school or when I'm home, since you barely ever answer your cellphone. It's impossible to even get your mail address, because apparently you don't believe in needing one either" Ayako replied.

Before Rin could counter, Ayako continued rising her right index finger. "How about this. I helped you buy a cellphone for your birthday, so let's try making use of it. If I can teach you how to use it properly AND how to download the game when it arrives, you will have to give it a go for a week before making a choice. Either way, you are learning something".

After making her point, she observed Rin pondering her decision. She knew she had her when she mentioned her birthday's gift, as Tohsaka Rin was a girl who disliked being in the debt of others, which included not showing appreciation for a present from a friend.

So it did not take even 10 seconds before Rin conceded.

It did take more than a month of frustrating and patient teaching for Rin to finally master her cellphone without making it almost explode.

Ah, the hardships of friendship!

* * *

It was the day of release, and Ayako had invited Rin to her room to take a look at the game before she herself tried downloading it.

Rin had been brought by the fake priest, who as always made no effort to hide his amusement at her exhausting month learning how to use the phone. During that time, he actually offered to help her, since he himself owned one, but she refused him.

It would be a cold day in hell before she accepted any kind of help from Kotomine Kirei, unless she was in real need of his abilities.

No matter how hard it was.

Or Ayako's looks of disbelief after she almost _kills_ her phone for the third time in that month.

….

In any case, she now knew how to use a cellphone and how to download applications on it, even if she only did the last in the company of her friend. She had actually managed to call Ayako on her own to confirm if the game that started all this had been released.

Invited to have lunch, Rin had arrived, in the process meeting Ayako's family. A loving family with a brother and a sister bantering between each other, both being shown affection by their parents.

A family with both parents alive.

With two siblings together.

A kind of life that lacked any concern regarding the Moonlit World, with its pride, mysteries and dangers, and duties to the family's legacy. And the eventual challenge of the Grail War which shattered the rest of her family after her sister was gone….

For a moment, Rin felt that she was not just intruding into another's home, but looking at a mirror of sorts, showing her what she could not have. It gave her a feeling of discomfort that she managed to hide behind her politeness and small smiles, though she had the feeling Ayako noticed the change.

So she actually welcome Ayako's enthusiasm when she was dragged into her friend's room after lunch, allowing for a shift in the mood. They were currently sitting both in the floor, next to the bed, looking together at what she called her "tablet".

"Ayako, you never told me what this game is about. How is it called?"

"Fate Grand Order" -she replied- "a game where you become the Master of different Servants, which you can summon to aid you in battles for restoring human history from events that may threaten our world".

That…sounded eerily familiar. But maybe it was just that, since Ayako had shown her some games with a similar theme to certain upcoming ritual that she was supposed to be part of.

And what were the chances?

"The game is about to start. I will play first so we both learn while you download your version, alright?" her friend asked, interrupting her musings.

"Very well, oh great master of gaming. Show this humble disciple how things are done!" Rin finished in a dramatic tone, making gestures with her hands as well and earning and snicker from Ayako in return.

As ordinated by the game, they started the prologue chapter.

And as the minutes progressed, the eerie feeling in Rin's gut gave way to disbelief.

How did this happen?

* * *

How did this happen?

That was the question that was currently occupying the mind of Lord El-Melloi II, also known as Waver Velvet. To understand his current plight, one needs to look back at the events that took place some weeks ago and also at Waver's history.

Not born from one of the older families of magi, Waver had to deal with the scorn and discrimination of those who did, including the instructors of the Clock Tower who believed that age and blood made prestige and might. Among those instructors was the former Lord El-Melloi and head of the Archibald Family, Keyneth, a man that publicly rejected his work on how achievements through efforts could rival those of inheritance and noble blood. Ironically, this event would become the catalyst in a chain of new events that would end with Keyneth's death in the Holy Grail War, and Waver becoming the only official survivor among the Masters and later taking the very title that his instructor once held.

Now, Waver thought of his position as both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, he could use his influence to pursue his ideas with pride, just like he had learned from the man he called his King during the Grail War; many students under his tutelage became prodigies, and offered their support to his cause and, therefore, political leverage in the Clock Tower. On the other hand, Waver had to deal with both the old farts from the Archibald Family and the insufferable current head, a young girl by the name of Reines El-Melloi Archisorte.

Due to his indirect role in Keyneth's demise (though he was sure Rider would have killed Keyneth after their third day together due to his disrespect of anyone but himself), the new Archibald head had him "pay back" by investing his efforts into restoring the clan to its former glory before the loss of both their Family Crest and their head in the war. Adding to his opposition to the hardliners within the Clock Tower, Waver Velvet had no choice but to take his role as new Lord seriously.

Still, everyone needs a way to escape the stress of work and politics, and Lord El-Melloi II found himself interested in videogames, especially those focused on strategy. Now, he was not opposed to trying all other genres, but he had his own preferences and those did not include the popular MMORPGs. As a result, he was probably the only Lord of the Clock Tower that was good with technology, owing both a cellphone and his own tablet and ordering new games of his liking from time to time for when he had time for himself.

And that is how two weeks ago, Waver Velvet had stumbled upon the release of a new game for free, which had a theme that he was familiar with. It took a while for downloading it but once he was set he started the prologue of the game.

And then the nightmare began.

While not aware of the exact cause behind the fire at the end of the Grail War, Waver Velvet had the suspicion that something related to it was responsible. And somehow, the first chapter of the game was located in the very city where it took place, a couple of years into the future.

What concerned him the most, however, was how detailed the game was in explaining some of the rules of magecraft, the command spells and even the accuracy on some of the Servants.

For anyone else, this might seem as a reason to notify another Lords of a possible leak of secrecy, but there were two problems with that option.

First, only a fool would rush with a first check, without trying to see how much information was in possession of the unknown party, and how delicate it was. Since the game had been released about a month before he started playing it, the knowledge didn't seem to have that much weight outside of those related to the Moonlit side, and especially those who actually bothered to learn how to navigate in the internet. Like any game that became popular, however, the general contents of the game would be the stuff of some media in time.

Second… only a fool rushed with information that could damage oneself!

Seriously, how the bloody hell did he become a character in a game he had no idea about until now?

With a mix of both dread and curiosity, Lord el-Melloi rushed into finishing the prologue and the first "singularity" of the game, the later now located in the days after the execution of Jeanne D'arc.

He spent some money to buy himself more time to rush the story and, after he was finished, Waver looked for more information in the web in hopes of finding more about the developers. However, he apparently found nothing.

Days later, the Lord Magus was using his resources to search more thoroughly, even cashing some favors from those with knowledge of the Underworld… and yet nothing.

Eventually, Waver opted for the best course of action possible, speaking to his benefactor/enslaver.

"So let me get this straight. There is a game which deals with information related to the Grail War you took part of as well as some basics of Magecraft and YOU ended up as one of the characters in it?" Reines asked for confirmation after listening to his story, and if her tone was any indication this was something both stupid and hilarious for her.

"A five-star Servant, apparently acting as the vessel for the chinese Heroic Spirit Zhuge-Liang" He replied.

"And what is so especial about that?" Reines asked once more, as if not understanding what was the deal. The nerve!

"A five-star Servant is impossible to get by just advancing the story, and so difficult to roll in the gacha that most players spent money in the currency to repeat the rolls" Waver answered with a deadpan tone.

"Gacha?"

"A term used by us players to refer to the luck-based pull that allows for the "summoning" of Servants as well as craft essences. But now is not the time to speak about that".

"You say that, but you speak of the rules of this game as if you were giving a lesson in the halls of the Clock Tower, Lord El-Melloi II". Reines added with amusement evident in her voice.

Waver actually coughed in his hand to avoid the moment of awkwardness and continued.

"This may not be a problem on its own, but anyone interested in mining our position has to simply point a leak in information with my name on it and it would be enough to do some damage to the reputation of the Archibald-"

"And yours as well" Reines finished for him.

"…Of course. While the mundane cares not for the accuracy of anything after Fuyuki, there is always the risk that new contents of the game could release more delicate information, such as vital locations or even mysteries. And I can't believe A GAME of all things is making me consider both a visit to that city as well as speaking to the very woman who could simply get rid of me." He was now massaging his eyebrows for the headache that had appeared since he decided speaking with Reines.

"I'm glad you are considering all the possibilities, and that you consulted with me before going to that woman. Still, you are putting as all in a difficult position by requesting a meeting with the Queen, Waver".

"Don't I know it. But I better be the one to tell her of the situation before anyone else rushes with enough information put her in a bad mood and ruin our chances for diplomacy".

It seemed they were both in agreement with the decision to take, though Reines insisted in both watching the game and joining him in his visit to the most powerful magus in the Clock Tower. However, the Archibald Head had one more question for him by the look on her face.

"You told me that you are considering making another visit to Fuyuki City. Is it nostalgia, or perhaps you found something else?

Waver stopped after opening the main door of the manor, and spoke.

"There was a Servant with a particular name in the game. A name which belonged to a man who I believed gone since the end of the Grail War, and who could provide some information if I'm lucky. Besides, I have some pending business in Fuyuki anyway so I might as well take a trip before risking my neck to Lorelei Barthomeloi."

And Waver left the Archisorte Manor, with that last detail floating in his mind.

'Of all the people who could have something to do with all this, it had to be someone related to HIM'

The one name that became the downfall of the Archibald Clan, as well as the fearsome bogeyman for many magi even to this day.

'Emiya, huh…'

* * *

"Emiya, you say?"

Kotomine Kirei considered himself a man who was both complex and simple. While not one to condone evil, he found joy in another's suffering. Being a devoted man of the Church, he still had to find the answer to whether it was alright to be born with such a twisted sense of happiness and morality, and he believed a cursed artifact hidden in the depths of the city could provide it.

Even if it meant the end of the world.

Of course when he took part of the Heaven's Feel Ritual as the Master of Assassin (and later Archer), Kirei had no idea of what laid within the Greater Grail. At that time, one of his biggest drives was to fight and understand the most dangerous enemy Master in the war, Emiya Kiritsugu.

A man so similar and yet different to him, someone who had followed a bloodstained path that gave no gains for himself, and moved from one conflict to another as if driven by a desire to find purpose. And then, one day, he simply vanished and settled down with the Einzbern, only coming out to act as the Master of Saber in the Grail War.

Before witnessing the Fuyuki Fire, Kirei believed that Emiya Kiritsugu had perhaps found the answer he was looking for all this time.

After the fire, however, he saw the shadow of the man that once was the Magus Killer, merely walking aimlessly in search for something. That walking corpse would no longer provide any answer for him, and so he focused his attention in the one thing that could represent his new found desire.

Almost ten years had passed since, and Kotomine Kirei had only had only heard once more from the name of Emiya when one of the devoted that attended to the church told him about the passing of said man. Kirei had merely accepted that as the final chapter in Emiya's life, only wondering how much suffering had that broken man carried within to his last days.

That is, until his not so grateful charge spoke the name during an outburst just as he was arriving for a formal meeting between Supervisor and Second Owner.

"Yeah, what of it? It's just some annoying guy who won't stop popping up everytime I try rolling for Servants in the game", -Rin replied now looking at him.

Ah yes, THAT game.

It seemed someone had somehow leaked information regarding the Holy Grail Wars, or at least used some of that information in the making of a videogame that had captured the attention of the Tosaka Heir. Kirei was a person that sought the ultimate answer to his question, but he could enjoy the little moments of frustration that were related to that game, from her hard time learning how to properly use her cellphone to the discovery of the contents of the game.

Since no one had decided to act yet in regards of this event he assumed that the leak had yet to be known by enough people from the Mage's Association, or perhaps they considered it of little relevance. The later made sense considering how it did not put the secrecy of Magic in jeopardy, but any new findings in the game could change that in the future.

The possibilities made sure that Kirei had no qualms in keeping the situation in secret from the Church itself, though he did wonder how the authorities in there would take the news.

And now, the game had once more picked his interest.

"I still can't believe YOU are planning on playing this as well Kotomine. It does not help that you have become the bogeyman for all of us with everything related to the rolling. Are you sure you have nothing to do with this?"

"I assure you Rin, I was as surprised as you when you showed me not just your appearance in the game but that of me and even other members of the three families. I have neither received nor offered support for anything related to this development. As for my participation… everyone can have a hobby of their own so long as it does not interfere with their goals in life, and I find this activity quite interesting", -he finished with a small smile.

"… I thought your hobby was adding salt to the wounds, you fake priest".

His smile grew slightly wider.

"And who said I cannot have both?"

Rin only looked more annoyed but said nothing.

Indeed, he had heard from her in her more relaxed moments of how the different players had been "spooked" during their tries to get a good Servant or essence by "Black Keys", and even a portrait of him posing shirtless.

And that made him curious about the game and the experiences it could offer.

Imagining the frustration, the willingness of the players to spend their money in hopes of getting luck's favor, only to fall into despair…Kotomine certainly wanted to become a part of this.

But back to his finding.

"As for your first question, Emiya was a known Magus in real life. A freelancer who combined his knowledge in Magecraft with modern technology and weapons and a very pragmatic mindset for hunting down his targets. He was so successful and so feared that he received the nickname of _Magus Killer_. He was even a participant in the last Heaven's Feel, the Master of Saber".

Rin was surprised for a moment but quickly recovered.

"A participant? But his profile says nothing about that, and he actually seems like a guy that could fit better in the middle ages with that bow and swords of his. Shirou Emiya never uses guns or anything like that in the game"

So, a coincidence or perhaps another sharing the same name?

"Maybe it's just a coincidence of sorts. Then again, a lot of the information has been accurate to some extent, as little as it offers. Emiya Kiritsugu was the man I was talking about, and he is currently buried in the oldest part of the city. It's up to you if you want to find more". Kotomine proposed.

He knew that Rin would try to use what little he offered as a start, but would mostly do the search on her own for the sake of her pride. This way it was also possible to find out more about his former nemesis, and even if nothing came out of her little adventure he never had to lift a finger in the first place.

At night, after the services were over, Kotomine Kirei decided to acquire his own device and give a try to the one game that had turned Tohsaka Rin into an avid player.

* * *

But what about Emiya Shirou himself?

How had he reacted to the news related to this development?

For starters, he had noticed some changes in his life.

While known in his neighborhood, the school and the Copenhagen, he was just one more bystander when walking through the streets of Fuyuki.

During the last months, however, he was becoming the focus of more and more looks.

When greeting some of the men at the Fujimura Estate, some of the younger ones gave him this funny look, as if trying to confirm something.

Kids and teenagers that he knew and even those he didn't know stared at him as he walked, some even waving at him. For the sake of politeness, he smiled and waved back.

But it was perhaps his boss in the Copenhagen who made him more surprised, as she stared at him for moments as if pondering something… and sometimes he was sure she had some drool while wearing a dazed look and a coy smile.

Was she…

Was she checking him out?

…..

Nah, he was way over his head.

Said line of thought was interrupted, however, when Taiga and even old man Taiga arrived at the end of his turn.

"Good evening Shirou-kun, how have y-"

"SHIROU!" Taiga interrupted her grandfather while getting close to him and then proceeded to shake him from his shoulders. "Why didn't you tell your onee-san about the news, I could have helped!

…

"Help with what?"

He was honestly confused, since nothing of interest had happened to him this days, aside from becoming the target of some onlookers.

"What do you mean what, the game of course!" She replied with the same enthusiasm. "But seriously, did you do it for free or did they pay you something? Did you sign some contact without reading? Did yo-"

Thankfully, the overwhelmed teenager was saved by the aged Yakuza.

"What Taiga-chan wants to ask is if you have anything to do with this?"

Raiga signaled one of his men, who then pulled out a tablet and showed what was currently on screen to Shirou.

He stared

And stared

AND Stared.

"What?"

* * *

 **A/N: Hello my fellow readers and writers. Yes, I live. No, I'm not updating my other works for now, so once more I offer an apology for that. I wanted to try something more simple, and also involving some crazy ideas that did not escalate in great crossovers. And this happened.**

 **Basically, Nasuverse meets the FGO app, in a mix of both comedy and seriousness.  
Hope you like it**


	2. Chapter I: Who's on My Support List?

Again, I do not own anything related to Typemoon. If I did, I would have them make a new story about the Dead Apostle Ancestors. All credit for the characters and source material goes to Kinoko Nasu, Takeuchi and Urobochi, as well as the other writers that came after.

 **I Can't Believe It's Not a Game!**

 ** _\- Chapter I: Who's on my Support List?-_**

While most traditional magi were reluctant to use modern technology for their affairs beyond transportation, he had been raised by a magus who was very pragmatic and practical. Sure, he was not up to date with most developments, but Shirou was competent enough in how to use a computer, a cellphone and even the tablet that had been gifted to him by his self-proclaimed "older sister".

Now he was looking at the game he had downloaded just half an hour ago, seated inside his shed/workshop. To be precise, he was looking once more at the image that he was shown by one of the men working for Raiga-san.

It was a picture designed for one of the elements of a new mobile game, portraying a slightly older version of him. That on its own was an anomaly, since he had never agreed to have art based on him for a game, but the significance of the image was strengthened by the text accompanying it.

 _Projection Magecraft._

It was one of the only three spells that he had been able to learn from his father, although he tended to focus more on practicing Reinforcement.

And his link with that spell was supposed to be a secret only known to his father and him, for the sake of preserving the secrecy of Magecraft. This could only mean one thing.

Somebody knew that Emiya Shirou was a magus.

For what purpose would that somebody made this knowledge public, he didn't' know. As ignorant as he was of the affairs of the Moonlit World, Shirou had no way to predict how could this affect him in the future, or the power to do something about it.

The only way to learn more, was to access his only mean of information.

"Might as well see what this is about for myself", - he said to himself after releasing a sigh.

After starting the game, he was allowed a free "10 roll summoning".

"Alright, let's see what we get…"

Moments later, a golden Saber Card shined on the screen.

* * *

"Rin I got another CE with your face. What did you get in with your ticket?"

The person in question only stared annoyed at her cellphone, looking at the result of spending one of the tickets given as gifts for logging up daily.

"…Another False Attendant's Writings…"

She got a pat on her shoulder from her friend, with a look that offered a sense of understanding that only those playing the game could get.

Grand Order was free to play, promoted cooperation and gave special rewards to motivate both new and older players, and anyone could actually make progress in the story even if they didn't roll the strongest of Servants. And yet, the game managed to tempt people into trying the higher rate ups in hopes of getting those golden Heroic Spirits.

Except Siegfried.

Because almost nobody liked him, even going as far as creating the nickname "Sumanai-kun" for the disappointing Saber.

Seriously, if she summoned a Saber in the Grail War and she got that kind of output, she was going directly to Kotomine to kick him in the nuts, because she was sure that fake priest would be to blame somehow.

Damn those black keys and that wakame hair that tried to get into her rolls!

…

In any case, most players had experienced at one point or another the frustration of saving up the game currency only to get nothing from the gacha, she and Ayako included.

The good news was that her life after the end of the last Grail War had taught her to be stingy in spending her money, especially since Kotomine managed to lose her father's properties and wealth somehow. Having learned restraint in real life, Rin would not spend even a single yen in buying quartz, no matter the offers made by Delight Works.

Even if she had yet to get a golden Saber that was not Artoria Lily.

Cute and all, she lacked enough firepower for those bosses, while the most sought Artoria Alter boasted the strongest Anti-Army Noble Phantasm.

Well, she had managed with her Caesar until now.

"What else did you get?", -Rin asked her friend.

"My last copy of Atalanta, finally", -was Ayako's reply.

Apparently, her friend was very fond of the archer from the Argonauts, even if she was a Servant with many weaknesses. Still, in this game one could afford going the hard route for advancing in the story, since the goal was enjoying it before completing it.

And besides, Ayako now had her favorite Servant at the highest level of her Noble Phantasm, so one of the weaknesses had been covered somewhat.

…. Now that she thought about it, how had she ended up in this kind of activity?

When she had first seen the story and the elements of the gameplay, Rin had been inwardly alarmed, since nobody outside of the Moonlit World should have any piece of knowledge from the Summoning System, even less of things like her Gandr, the Azoth dagger or her ownership of the memento from her father.

Since Ayako had been in there, she had considered the idea of trying erasing her memories but quickly discarded that course of action. Not only was she uncomfortable doing that to her best friend, but it would be a pointless action if more people had already seen that information.

Instead, Rin had decided to just go along with Ayako's ideas for the time being, hoping to find an explanation different from a stalker.

It was a challenge giving half-answers, mainly because Ayako had had decided to begin a guessing game between them.

After returning home that very same day, Rin had called the fake priest to inform him of her discovery, asking for advise even when she didn't want to be indebted to him. Since she had no experience or resources of her own to deal with this kind of situation, her only choice was consulting with Kotomine.

While a poor administrator of her household finances, Kotomine Kirei could be trusted with upholding his role as Supervisor, and this also included assisting in case of a possible leak of the secrecy of Magecraft.

The man had agreed with her observation regarding how widespread the information could be even from the first day, but pointed out that most people would simply believe this to be fantasy related to the videogame. However, he added that they would have to prepare for contacting people from the Mage's Association or even the Church if they didn't' opt for disappearing from the public eye.

His suggestion was to continue the game to learn more about it, and keep their guards up for any changes or unexpected guests in the city. As they were now, their best chance could be to await while wielding the home advantage.

And so, Rin continued learning more of the game on her own to see how much vital information it contained, especially if more secrets of her family were leaked, all while thinking what she could do about her situation.

By the end of the first month since release, Rin had begun enjoying the experience of playing, since it became tiresome just waiting for something to happen.

By the time of the release of the "Septem Singularity", Tohsaka Rin had officially become a fan of Grand Order.

…

Huh, so it just happened.

Though she supposed it helped taking part in the forums related the game, where she could make her doubts known and even get some useful ideas for improving her gameplay.

In fact, in a strange way, the game had captured her attention as a simulator of sorts for the Grail War. Thinking of the possibilities for when her time came for acting as a Master for real, Rin had created the perfect excuse for herself.

Like this, a second magus in the Moonlit World had officially turned into a gamer, because the first one had been a fan of games and Japanese merchandise years before Grand Order had been released.

* * *

"Would you like another cup of tea Waver-kun?"

"Thanks grandma, but I'm satisfied with the one you offered me before", -Waver Velvet answered with a genuine smile to the old housewife.

Very few knew El-Melloi as close acquaintances, and even less had been able to get an honest, content smile from him nowadays. And Martha Mackenzie certainly knew how to prepare a nice tea, one with a feeling of welcoming and warmth.

For him, visiting the couple was the closest he ever had to some vacations, even if he only did it rarely. Still, Waver maintained this relationship since the Grail War, for their sake as well as his.

"But to think that you would become so popular that way. Why didn't you tell us that you were working for the game industry Waver", -this time it was Glenn Mackenzie who spoke.

"…. I have been busy these last months with both my work as a professor as well as my contributions to the game, and only know did I get time for myself. I apologize for not telling you before grandpa".

"That's ok, it's not like I'm interested in videogames anyway. We found out about your involvement because of the grandkids of our neighbors, since one of those characters looked exactly like you when you stayed here", -Glenn said with humor.

When the Mackenzie had brought up the topic of his appearance in Grand Order, he had told them that a friend from his times of school was part of the developers and was interested in including him as part of the characters for the final product. Waver had apparently accepted the offer since it looked like an interesting idea from his old friend, but was later surprised with how successful the game had become.

It was a good façade to offer to the Mackenzie, and could also serve if he played his cards right in order to mitigate the damage that the leak could cause.

And speaking of leaks, the first singularity of the game had picked his curiosity in more ways than his appearance as a Servant.

While not completely faithful to the workings of the Grail War that he participated in, there were enough parallels to guess that the developers were familiar with the ritual. This was reinforced by other facts, like names and spells related to the Three Founding Families being included in the game, or that some of the Servants that could be summoned had been in HIS Grail War.

Now he knew the name of the Black Berserker that had caused so many troubles to Saber and gotten the spite of the King of Heroes.

While it could be assumed WHO was the most plausible person behind this mess, Waver Velvet was still concerned about this coincidences, so he decided to ask his _grandparents_ about the current state of their home.

"Tell me, how has the city been since, you know…"

"Ah, yes. The city has recovered a great deal since the Great Fire and most have continued forward with their lives. But for such a tragedy to happen… so many good people lost their lives that night, even some of our friends"- Glenn replied with a somber tone that made Waver feel uncomfortable.

The night when they have all watched the news of the disaster that would be known as the Great Fuyuki Fire, Waver had the feeling that it had to do with the last battles of the Holy Grail War. After going through the new game and its details regarding a future outcome of the one to come, he was concerned of the possible repeat of the disaster, one of the reasons behind his visit that he did not reveal to Reines.

None of the members of the Archibald would condone making a sudden trip for personal affairs, especially with his current situation due to his inclusion in the leaks of information.

Martha decided to add more to their reminiscence, interrupting his inner monologue.

"And we still have reminders of it. Like the Central Park in Shinto, where the City Hall and many houses were located. Now, nobody approaches it unless necessary, as everyone gets such a bad feeling from it."

That caught his interest.

"A bad feeling?", -Waver asked her to go on.

"Yes, a very bad feeling, - Martha continued – "On one Sunday, we decided to take a walk through the Shinto District to see how much it had changed since the fire. At one point we decided to take a look by ourselves at the park and as we got close… there was this very unpleasant feeling in my gut. Not even a minuted passed after we stepped into the park, and I actually begged Glenn to go back home, which he immediately agreed to. That place felt so wrong, so full of sadness and misery… we felt that if we stayed any longer we would never be able to return", - she finished.

In the meantime, Waver was thinking on what she was saying with a more critical outlook.

A place that made people feel uncomfortable to a severe degree, located in the area that suffered the most from the fire.

A place that carried negative feelings even after almost ten years have passed.

And if he remembered the game correctly, that was the location of the Ground Zero, where the singularity of 2004 that destroyed all Fuyuki had started from.

It was then that Waver Velvet came to a realization.

Possibly the creation of somebody with knowledge of the events of the Grail War, his initial conclusion had been that the game built its own story borrowing information from real events. The only real risk it represented was that if the leak of information became vital for the interests of an important family people would be pointing fingers at him, even without proof, just because he appeared in the game.

A situation that was far from grave, but that could potentially escalate into something more troublesome should he just leave it be.

But Martha's tale was hinting on the existence of something akin to a Bounded Field in the middle of Shinto.

While varying in effects, the basis behind a Bounded Field was to impose a particular set of rules in a determined area, with the strongest ones being able to temporarily replace the "Real World" with that created from the casters inner perception, a Reality Marble.

Now, Bounded Fields were usually used for one reason: to conceal something or someone.

The connection was weak, probably an exaggeration from his part. But…

If there was truly a Bounded Field in Shinto…

If there was something hidden in there with the potential to create a disaster on a greater scale than the Fuyuki Great Fire...

For someone bearing the title of Lord El-Melloi II, this should not concern him. Magi were not heroes, far from it. He should let the Second Owner take care of whatever was going on and, after making a little suggestion and checking on the name "Emiya", he would return to the Clock Tower.

Unfortunately, he was Waver Velvet before he had been given the title of Lord.

No matter how cold he could behave in front of others, no matter how many strangers he could ignore… Waver Velvet had been Waver Mackenzie at one point of his life.

Even now, he had been drinking tea and talking about the happenings of his life and those of the Mackenzie family without pretending to enjoy the company. Because he liked them.

Because he cared.

So even if it ended up being a waste of time-

"And to think that Shirou-kun was at one point in that place during the disaster", -Waver was pulled once again from his mind by the voice of his "grandma", who had just mentioned a name that ringed a bell.

"Shirou-kun?"

"Emiya Shirou, a very nice teen from the traditional part of Miyama Town,"- Glenn added - "He was very helpful at a time we needed some help with repairs for the house, even offering to do all the work for free. We met the boy indirectly, through an old friend of mine who currently owns a liquor shop and pub called Copenhagen. To go to the point, there was a time during his visits in which we talked about his life, particularly about his family. We learned that Shirou was rescued by his foster father after he was found in the middle of the ruins of the Central Park. God knows what the poor kid witnessed at the time of the fire."

 _'So Emiya is related to a kid who survived the Fuyuki Fire?'_

"And then his foster father died about two years ago, leaving him in the care of the Fujimura. However, he started to work just a year later to become more independent and not burden them. I have seen few teenagers with such a sense of responsibility for themselves, and so willing to help others", -the older man finished.

"Yes, in spite of the bad experiences of his life, Shirou-kun is a kind and hardworking young man. I think you would like him", -Martha was looking at Waver as she said this with a smile once more adorning her face.

For his part, the Lord Magus was pondering on these revelations, finding more interesting than before the existence of the name _Emiya_ in the game. But before acting on his intuition he needed to finish his visit.

"I'll think about it grandma, I'm staying in Fuyuki for a couple more of days, perhaps a week if nothing sudden happens at work. For now, I must leave to deal with the more professional affairs that brought me here".

"Just like before, you only stay for a short time before going around the city. Really, what a busy man you are Waver-kun", -Martha said with false annoyance - "be sure to visit again if it's not too much to ask, alright?"

Waver was getting up already but still replied honestly.

"I may not be your true grandson, but I still consider both you and your husband as family. It will never be a bother to find time for another talk, so long as I am here."

As the happy couple bid him goodbye, Lord El-Melloi reviewed his current priorities.

Making a visit to the Central Park in order to confirm the existence of a Bounded Field.

Confirm with both the Supervisor and the Second Owner their knowledge of this magecraft should it exist in there.

Find out more about the fate of Emiya Kiritsugu and the boy related to him.

Compare his result with what he has learned from the game.

... and gather enough quartz for a 10 roll in hopes of getting another copy of his younger liege.

…

So sue him, it was a good game!

* * *

While a Lord from the Clock Tower, a self-proclaimed third rate magus and an Average One/Second Owner were trying to deal with the changes brought in their lives by the mysterious yet fascinating game, others outside of Fuyuki had been involved as well.

* * *

For starters, the heiress of a family who had a bone to pick with the Tohsaka.

While a family with a long history behind them, The Edelfelt were nowhere near as stagnant as many of the other families, included the ones behind the founding of the Heavens' Feel Ritual. Many of their members preferred to work as enforcers and mercenaries and, even if their modus operandi were not that of the Magus Killer, the Edelfelt had no qualms with using modern technology both in their work as well as in helping with their daily lives.

As a result, it was not strange for the Edelfelt to have interests in the novelties from the non-magical side of the world, be it for making profit trough investments or simply to keep themselves up to date.

Of course, this included using the internet.

Which was how the current head, Luviagelita Edelfelt, found out about a game of all things talking about the Grail War.

It had been an unexpected result, with Luvia being curious about the current state of affairs in Fuyuki City.

Since their defeat in the Third Holy Grail War, the Edelfelt had been waiting for a chance to get back at the Tohsaka for both their loss and the stealing of their Gem Magecraft-Antumbra. None of their members had been chosen by the time of the Fourth Grail War and there was no guarantee that it would be different in the next one, but they were nonetheless preparing themselves just in case. For only the foolish would jump at the first chance without making sure they were up to the challenge.

The fate of the previous Lord El-Melloi was proof enough.

Therefore, Luvia had been preparing herself, gathering information and looking from time to time for information on both the Tohsaka as well as the city in which she would bet everything.

Just for curiosity, she had decided to search through the internet.

Now, two months and a half after the release of Fate Grand Order, Luvia was walking through the halls of the house that had been property of her ancestors and their base of operations during their time in the Grail War. Two things had changed since her fateful discovery.

Primarily, the Edelfelt Head had decided to establish herself in Fuyuki decades before the supposed date of the next Holy Grail War.

Secondly, said head had become a fan of the game, much to her butler's dismay.

* * *

At the same time, an Enforcer who had claimed independence from her family was sleeping in the woods.

Why she didn't sleep in a comfortable bed in a hotel room was the result of her current financial status.

She had been given an interesting message by an old acquaintance of hers, and she had ended up glued to a game which had been inspired in the Holy Grail War.

Reason being, the game had among its characters the famous Cu Chulain.

For anyone familiar with the luck-based rolls of the game, the rarity of this Lancer Class Servant made it possible to eventually acquire all necessary copies for his Noble Phantasm, even if the player stuck with Friend Points.

However, the enforcer in question had been blessed with a strange luck.

When it came to planning and direct combat, she managed to play her cards right to achieve victory or escape with her life to try a next time.

But outside of battle, and especially in handling her money, she was blessed with suck.

In particular, none were aware that she had been the only player in the game who had yet to roll any version of Cu Chulain. Aside from the reward Caster from the prologue, she had none.

And yet… she really, REALLY, wanted to get all of them, fully ascended and with their Noble Phantams and skills at their maximum.

And so, she rolled.

And rolled.

When she had no more quartz or tickets, she payed….and kept rolling.

Months later, she had used most of her savings to pay her debts. Adding the inexplicable lack of employers interested in hiring her during the next days, the enforcer had ended up doing odd jobs that eventually got her into Fuyuki.

When she had discovered that she lacked enough money to pay a room for the night, she had tried hypnotizing the manager, only to find that the man was resistant to the spell and didn't like people playing the fool.

She was kicked out and left to her own devices.

Which lead to her current situation.

Hopefully, the enforcer thought, she could find a job the next day.

At least she had bound her account.

* * *

Outside of Fuyuki, somewhere in the European Continent, two of the most powerful characters in the Moonlit World had brought strange changes to their organizations.

Within the headquarters of the Burial Agency, both young and old Executors wondered what was wrong with their fearsome leader these last couple of months. Even the top numbers, those who directly interacted with her, seemed to be clueless.

With the exception of _Crown_.

That priest just kept looking smug and even released some snorts every time something happened.

Like that time when their leader had banned carrying Black Keys in her presence unless it was deemed extremely necessary. She actually threatened to demote anyone without justification to cleaning duties.

Or that time she had openly cursed the name of one of her former agents, and for some reason "seaweeds".

And sometimes, one could hear her laughing like a maniac, as if she had found a way to completely humiliate and kill both the Queen of the Clock Tower and the Black Princess.

Somewhere in the Netherlands, a black knight was just as confused.

He was one of the oldest of his kind (as well as one of the strongest), so there were little challenges he was unprepared for.

Be it politics, gathering wealth and influence, or crushing anyone that was deemed a threat, The Black Knight would find a way to fulfill his duties.

All for the sake of the Princess.

Even if her commands were strange.

"My most loyal sword. I have a mission of great importance that only you can be entrusted to complete. Go to the city of Fuyuki and find the people whose names I just mentioned to you".

"Understood, my Lady", -he answered with his voice not betraying any emotion. He had always been known as a very stoic character, speaking only when and as much as necessary.

But before allowing him to depart, it seemed she wanted one more thing.

"Oh, and don't forget to press that priest in regards of his annoying habit. If he is being a pest on purpose…. make sure he knows of my displeasure for being denied what I want"- she finished viciously.

"As you wish, my Lady".

And so, he went to make ready for departing, making sure to arrive to his destination by the next morning.

Strange reasons behind her commands or not, The Black Knight would fulfill his duties with utmost devotion and success.

All for the sake of his Princess.

* * *

Morning had come to Fuyuki City.

For most, it was just another day for work and school, or perhaps to take care of their homes and families.

For many of the younger generation, it was another day to enjoy themselves, especially with the game that had recently become the hype.

For Emiya Shirou, this was a morning filled with many questions which he could not answer on his own. Still, the game had left an impression on him and he decided that he needed some time for himself after school.

He knew exactly where.

And without his knowledge, he had chosen a common destination.

* * *

 **A/N: The wait has ended, friends. To celebrate that i pulled Waver and two Jackies in NA with a 10 roll, I give you the next chapter.**  
 **I'm happy so many people liked the prologue, and welcome the comments regarding ideas as well as proofreading. For the later, I'm not sure if this chpater is better but I will try more for the next one.**

 **By the way, don't whale as Ziss did on his last video, that was just insanity.**

 **Review, enjoy, comment. See you all soon.**


	3. Chapter 2: Unfriend me, Friend me

**Everyone, many thanks for the reviews and likes, I'm very pleased with how much attention this story has gotten in such a short time. On a first note, I apologize for the lates updates, personal issues as well as some annoying flue have kept me away from actual writing. Also, brainstorming does not make easy to choose an idea to keep the story going after the first chapters. Still here we are now.**

 **I would like to add that this story is influenced by my own experience in both the Japanese and the NA servers, and since I started the first during Dango Festival Re-run there will be some inconsistences. Anyone who wishes to provide some information regarding important features that were not in FGO before is more than welcome.**

 **With that out of the way, I give you the following chapter. I still don't have the rights on Typemoon source material, and most of the credit for the characters should go to the people responsible for their creation. I am merely creating my own story with my interpretation and ideas based on the original LNs, VN and other games.**

 **Enjoy.**

 **I Can't Believe It's Not a Game!**

 ** _\- Chapter II: Unfriend me, Friend me -_**

It is said that those bound by the threads of Fate will find a way to meet, whether they try or not.

Some locations are said to be hotspots for these predestined meetings, and for the many events to come.

For those who put on the hands of Fate their fortune as well as their misery, the unexpected may be known or unknown, but always an inevitable outcome.

For those who believed in making their own destiny, the unexpected was just the result of chance, possibilities that happened without anyone or anything behind to claim complete responsibility or control over them.

Regardless, none of the people currently seated in the living room of a traditional japanese house had expected this kind of meeting.

One of them had been already planning to check the place, concerned about the existence of a Bounded Field hiding something dangerous, fit for sending Enforcers in the city.

One had tagged along, surprised to find said character but nonetheless thankful for the assistance to her current situation (which of course was not for free).

Another had arrived during his exploration of the city's landscape, making sure to spot any of the targets that his mistress had assigned to him.

Another two had been sent by an irate woman, merely for the sake of curiosity. Not willing to deal with the consequences of refusing the command, they had both taken a similar mission as the one mentioned before.

Two friends, one of which was still ignorant to the Moonlit World, had decided to track the red-head that appeared in one of the cards of the new game. They had been joined by another whose whole demeanor spoke of wealth, and who apparently held some kind of rivalry with one of the original pair.

And finally, the aforementioned red-head and owner of the house all this characters were in, and who had been trying his best to handle the situation the only way he knew how.

Cooking.

Indeed, many of the people enjoying the feast had many reasons to be wary each other, some even considered jumping into fighting an hour before when they had first met in the Fuyuki Central Park. Even now, they halted any kind of aggression only because their attention was focused on the delicious meal they had been offered by their host.

But eventually the food would be no more, and the tensions would arise anew.

Until then, Emiya Shirou gave himself a moment to contemplate how he had ended up with some of the most dangerous characters in the Moonlit World as guests at his home.

* * *

 _The Fuyuki Central Park was a place avoided by many, both for the memories as well as the dreadful feeling it left on anyone trespassing into the area._

 _While he was not fond of the location, for him it held a particular relevance._

 _It had been the place where Emiya Shirou had died and been reborn._

 _Whatever he had been had met its end here, and everything that he was had started that fateful night in this very place._

 _He visited at least once in a year, as if compelled by his connection to the place. It reminded him of what had been lost, what could be lost again, and the promise he had made to his father the night he passed away._

 _It was also the best place to be by himself, especially now that so many things out of his control could happen._

 _His main concern then had been … What to do?_

 _After spending the night playing the game, he still had no answers. Instead his own lack of knowledge had been made more evident to him. The only things he knew were that his status as a magus had been revealed to those who knew where to look, and that the game had its own version on the workings of Magecraft._

 _Well, there was also the Heroic Spirit "EMIYA", who apparently used Projection and shared the same family name as him and his father. But that was all he could gather from the game character, and it did not give him anything to work with._

 _So, what was he to do? Ignore the game and keep going with his life as before? Ask for help from someone related to the supernatural? Perhaps keep playing in order to get more answers?_

 _None of those seemed plausible, since anyone that thought he had some responsibility in the leak from the game would be coming anytime. And his father had made sure he understood how much magi disliked leaks of secrecy._

 _Somebody out there knew about him, about people he was both familiar and unfamiliar with, and that person had linked all to the supernatural. What would he or she do with this knowledge? Did that someone want something from him?_

 _Any further thinking on the topic had been forced to wait, however._

 _For a presence unlike any other had made itself known very close to him._

 _"…."_

 _He had moved his body very slowly, careful to not show any sort of sudden reaction._

 _"…"_

 _He had felt that whatever possessed this kind of feeling demanded more than attention. It needed to be addressed with the knowledge that it could end anyone who incurred on its ire._

 _"…"_

 _When he had finished turning around, he had entered into the same kind of mentality he held when he was practicing Kyudo. Not betraying any emotion he had regarded the one that had made his presence known to the point that it drowned all others._

 _"…"_

 _"…"_

 _Emiya Shirou had seen death, he had felt death. The whole park was tainted by strong negative feelings and possessed an aura unmatched by anything he could remember._

 _Until then._

 _For the man in front of him, who also wore an impassive face, was able to make himself felt even amongst all of it. From nothingness, he had suddenly turned into the one thing that stood above all others in this lonely field._

 _Garbed in black, with pale skin and red irises, long black hair and a height that towered over his own, the mysterious man had made for an imposing figure._

 _And more importantly…_

 _Even if this was his first time meeting him, Shirou had known deep inside that this man was dangerous, that if he so wished he could have ended his life right there and right then._

 _"…"_

 _They had stood like that, just looking at each other for about a full minute, but to Shirou it had felt far longer. Then, the man had finally spoken._

 _"What does this place mean to you, Emiya?", -he had asked with his blank expression._

 _If Shirou had been surprised by this man knowing his family name, he hadn't shown it. But the black man was expecting an answer, and completely in control of the situation he could not risk a lie._

 _"This is the place where everything began for me. It is a reminder of what I desire to avoid, of those who I left behind, including myself, and of the promise I made to stop this kind of tragedy from happening ever again"._

 _"An oath driven by guilt then, though I am sure there is more to it"- the man had said before adding -"Your eyes tell more than just regret, they have in them a conviction that can only be found in those who have lost a purpose of their own and seek to find it outside"._

 _Shirou had stiffened, and his eyes had widened slightly as the words had pierced an old wound that only he had known about. He had been surprised by the man knowing his name, but he had then began speaking of things not even those closest to him had ever pointed out..,_

 _"But it seems you have yet to find a proper answer. Finding yourself and finding others are two things that cannot be fulfilled at the same time. What gives meaning to you is not always what can realize others desires, and sometimes the frictions bring forth new tragedies"._

 _With that comment, the man had pierced once more trough Shirou's defenses, making it harder for him to keep his demeanor. But he had steeled himself again, and had let the man continue his inquiry._

 _"As of now you care more for others, and you seek yourself in others. But the time will come when your willingness is tested, and if you will find your answers then. Perhaps the time will come sooner than you expected…"-, he had made a pause then._

 _For a moment, Shirou had been unaware of what had caught the attention of the man in black, until…_

 _"Isn't that right, you lot in hiding?"_

 _!_

 _Then everything became chaos._

 _One moment he had been talking with the unknown man in black, and then everything had changed._

 _It had happened so fast. So fast that his eyes had been barely able to follow._

 _The place had turned into some kind of battleground, with other people jumping to fight his companion while he proceeded to weave through their attacks with impossible reflexes._

 _He was barely aware that he had been thrown aside, his mind still focused on the noises, the blurs and the chaos that had suddenly taken place in the park._

 _And not even 30 seconds later, time had resumed its normal flow._

 _And Shirou had been greeted with a very changed location._

 _Trees had been crushed and pulverized, the earth around him had been cracked, burned and slashed._

 _As for his companion, he had found him not too far from his original position, crossing blades with one hand against a blue-haired woman, while his other limb was holding the leg of another woman, wearing a suit that had clearly seen better days._

 _His feet were surrounded by some kind of silver liquid, but in spite of its efforts to advance it was being kept at bay by something._

 _Not too far from the ones engaged in combat, a tall man wearing a red long coat was grimacing, in the company of a slightly nervous man who was wearing priest-like robes._

 _And finally, some girls had been looking with wide eyes, apparently unwilling to move._

 _In that moment, Shirou had known that they were all trapped in a stalemate of sorts, with him included in the equation if the looks he was receiving from time to time were to be trusted._

 _When the stalemate was broken, someone would probably die._

 _His eyes went back to the girls, who looked unable or unwilling to move further._

 _If the fight resumed they would be dragged into it, which would have ended up most certainly with them hurt, or worse._

 _If he did something to upset the situation, it would be him to go first, and then who knows what would follow._

 _Being who he was, Emiya Shirou had made his decision and broke the tension in the most unexpected way._

 _"So…is anyone interested in having dinner at my home?"_

 _To be fair, his nerves had finally gotten the best of him._

 _The grumble of some bellies, including the woman in suit whose face had gone from determination to awkwardness, gave his invitation some merit._

 _And so, Emiya Shirou had managed the first of his heroic deeds, by stopping a pitched battle between inhabitants of the Moonlit World and becoming the host of a most unusual gathering._

* * *

"Anyone else wants seconds?"

Shirou was glad he had enough time to spare to prepare enough food for all his guests, and even to spare for those who wished to have another go.

He had been expecting to use a good chunk of his money to feed them, but many of the group had objected to this, insisting that he was doing more than his share by cooking.

Still, walking from the Fuyuki Central Park to the store closest to his home had been a new experience with his new companions, especially with how many people kept staring, whispering, or even pointing at them.

Not that he could blame them. Mysterious man in black and brown haired girl aside, the group had something in common.

All of them had appeared in the game in one way or another.

Hell, one of them was supposedly a "Servant" viable for summoning!

To the eyes of anyone familiar with "Grand Order", they were in some sort of meeting related to the game.

Of course, none of them were comfortable with that level of attention, so they finished their trip to the grocery store quickly, and together they all marched to the Emiya Estate.

Now, assembled around the table from him living room, his guests were almost done with their food.

"This is so good! I still wish you had made some curry as well, but your food is amazing!", -that was the blue haired woman who was giving a big smile that contrasted with the cold killer expression she had about an hour ago in the park –"by the way, I'm Ciel. Sorry for not greeting you properly before, Emiya-san".

"Yes, very delicious. Back in our headquarters food is not exactly bad, but this is something I regret not trying before"- this time it was her companion, the priest guy who had politely acted as a mediator between the different members of the group. He had presented himself as Mr. Dawn.

"Indeed. You are well versed in the art of cooking, and you do know how to properly serve your guests. Mmm, perhaps with some tutoring of someone like August you could learn all the etiquette necessary to become an excellent butler"- now the blond girl with her hair in drills complimented him.

The men in red and black merely finished their meals, but nevertheless he received a brief stare from his first companion.

As for the rest, they were all focused on eating, either to calm their nerves or to satiate their hunger.

Guess who was the later.

When they were all done, and the dishes had been taken away, the meeting finally began.

It was the man in black who began.

"Since all of you have cooled down your moods to at least not try another fight, let us address the first issue: how do we deal with the witness?"

By witness, he was referring to the one person that had nothing to do with the Moonlit World, the girl who had been in the company of the other two magus and who had been dragged into the mess.

Currently, she was doing her best to not look at any of them, her body trembling and her hands held into fists.

"Wait a moment please"- Shirou intervened- "I know little when it comes to Magecraft, but can't any of you just hypnotize her so she forgets?"

"We have tried already during our trip to the store. All of us. Even the mystic eyes of a Dead Apostle Ancestor had no effect on her"- replied the man with the red coat- "Being the third person that Bazzet fails to put under hypnosis, I can only conclude that something interferes with the spell".

The man in black offered the simplest solution.

"Then get rid of her. One human dead in a city means nothing. They will search, they will find something, but they will eventually just give up. There are enough leaks already".

Shirou was about to rebuke him but he was beaten by the twin-tail girl.

"Like hell you will kill her!" –She exclaimed positioning in front of the person of interest, while pulling something out of her pockets.

Everyone got tense again.

The man was unfazed.

"The gem you are carrying with you is related to the Tohsaka, so that makes you both the current heir as well as the Second Owner. Isn't it your duty to ensure that the rules of the Moonlit World are followed, little girl?"

She was surprised by his awareness of her identity, but refused to concede. He continued.

"While it seems you hold a strong bond with this girl, you are also part of the Moonlit World. Failing to follow one of its main rules can be seen as failing as a magus. You would risk your position, your legacy, for one more of the masses?" - he added looking straight at her.

She was biting her lips now, her answer this time a little hesitant.

"I know that! But still… I just can't-"

"Please wait a moment _Ossan_. There is another option, right?"- Shirou decided to intervene to the rescue of the girl who had stood for an innocent –"If somebody-

"What you are suggesting is basically ending her freedom, and hoping somebody takes pity on the girl, boy"- now he directed his attention to him once more- "Who would take care of someone who has little to offer? The Church? She will be forced into the life of the hunters of the heresies, hoping to survive. The enforcer seems like she can barely care for herself, and the magi have their own problems to deal right now. Unless you are thinking I would be taking a common girl under my wing, which would mean a waste of my time if not a good chance of her becoming a mere thrall. And all of these choices have her losing forever her place outside of our world. It would be a fairer fate to spare her any of those by ending it now".

And Shirou knew he was right.

Unless anyone was actually interested in taking care of the girl, she had nowhere to go. All roads implied that she would be subject to either a life of danger or to a life of servitude, deprived of the means to live her own life for the rest of it. And _Tohsaka_ seemed to be struggling with her decision, but that would end soon and the result may not be for the best of her friend.

That's why he had stepped in, fully aware that his next words would put him into the fire.

"In that case let me take care of her. I will be fully responsible for her"- he announced, looking at the man in black with determination –"You said that my conviction would be tested at one point, and this is one chance. If there is no guaranty that she will be safe alone or in any of your hands, then I will be the one to stand for her"- his piece said, he remained in silence, not flinching even once under the pressure of the man's stare.

"Then it will be you whose head will roll as well if she were to be found disruptive".

"It does not matter. If I can protect her now I will find a way to do so again if the time comes. Besides, I am but a third rate… my death will not upset anyone in the Moonlit World or put anyone here under risk."

Shirou knew he was way above himself trying to make a point against someone who could hold his ground against multiple opponents, but nevertheless he stood his ground.

What he didn't know was the impression he was leaving on all the other people present in the room.

The magus in red remained silent, but his eyes now regarded him with a mix of both interest and annoyance.

Tohsaka was wide-eyed, but paled in comparison to the girl that was the focus of all the debate.

The blonde girl and the woman in suit remained neutral, but the first one now wore a small smile in her face. The same could be said about Ciel.

Finally, the man in black broke their little contest.

"Naïve. You are very naïve, Shirou Emiya. You define yourself as a low tier magus, yet you refuse to back down in front of the will of others who have far more power. However, it is not arrogance that drives you. You will need to survive hell itself once more if you are to back up your claim in front of anyone like me and hope to convince them. But that is your burden now."

While his expression had not changed, Shirou knew it was the man's way of accepting his words.

"Is anyone in this table in disagreement?"

There were no raised hands, nor vocal complaints.

Tohsaka send him a silent thanks before resuming a more professional demeanor, while the girl continued looking at him wide-eyed.

But more was to be said.

"You are naïve also, because you called yourself an unimportant character, yet you are one of the pieces behind the puzzle that had caught the attention of my Master, and the reason I am here in the first place. In fact, most of you are connected to it, and this meeting has made my job far easier."

He pulled something from a bag he had who knew where. It appeared to be a group of papers, all sporting different images.

Images very familiar to all of the gathered.

"Are you all familiar with the game _Fate Grand Order_?"

And so, the true purpose behind the meeting was addressed.

* * *

Good news, nobody in the room was responsible for the mess that was the new videogame spoiling details about magecraft and Holy Grail Wars.

Bad news, they had no current leads aside from the general consensus that a certain vampire with a love for terrible pranks and the ability to play with dimensions was the most probable suspect. And that didn't mean they could just grab him to have him unmake it all.

Strange news… everyone's impressions of each other had taken a huge dump.

Rin would have laughed, if she had the energy for it in herself.

Because the current son of the fearsome Magus Killer, who had been living in her city for years without her knowledge, was a beginner whose biggest talent laid in the arts of cooking.

The two big shots from the Church and the Dead Apostle Ancestors had somehow become enthusiastic players from the very game Ayako had gotten into, and somehow shared with her a deep spite for the fake priest on the hill. Even if said spite came from one of the most ridiculous sources.

An Enforcer from a very powerful family had ended penniless because she decided to go pay to play and failed pretty bad at it (from her own perspective that is).

One of the most famous magus from the Clocktower and also survivor of the past Holy Grail War had ended up dragged into the mess by complete coincidence.

And her not-cousin and pain in the ass better known as Edelfelt had also become a part of all of this.

Yes, she had reasons to laugh at the strange situation she found herself in, along all others in the House of the Magus Killer's son.

And yet she could not.

Even after their meeting was over and most of her new acquaintances went on their own way, Rin found the events of today taking a heavy toll on her.

Her uselessness at dealing with an unexpected fight between powerhouses from different factions of the Moonlit World.

Her dilemma between her friendship with Ayako and her upbringing as a magus from the Tohsaka Clan.

The fact that it took a third rate, a complete stranger, to take the burden in her place.

The fact that something may be going on with the game in relation with the upcoming Grail War.

Compared to all this, even Edelfelt's presence seemed like a minor headache.

A part of her just wanted to go home and let sleep take her, to think about all the next morning.

But another part, that which stood initially for her friend, wanted to go to her and…

And what?

Offer an apology?

Ask if she was ok?

Just pretend that things would be better?

…

She knew things would never be the same.

Even when she approached her friend, after she finished giving a call to her family, she knew.

Even when she stood behind her, she knew.

That is why she dared not to say anything.

And the silence reigned for a few minutes, even after Ayako let herself fall into a sitting position, in front of the backyard of the house.

Finally, it was the normal girl who took the initiative.

"So… you are a witch, huh?", she said attempting to add some humor in her voice, still not looking at Rin in the eyes.

"Technically, I'm a magus. Just like Emiya. Just like half of the people you met tonight", - was her reply, professional and without beating around the bush.

"You know, I dragged you into the chase for Emiya-kun expecting some kind of adventure, but none of this. I thought that maybe we would make fools of ourselves, or perhaps even meet and interesting guy" -she began clenching her hands over her knees, a trembling running from her fingers to her arms- "But this… all of this. I don't know what to believe."

"Ayako I-"

"All I know is that that man was serious. You all were seriously thinking what to do with me"- her friend continued without paying attention to her.

"I …"

"When they moved, I couldn't see anything Rin. I have seen my grandfather and father sparring before. I have seen other people good with martial arts, even saw Fujimura Taiga once on her time as a candidate for the local Kendo contest. But when they moved, when that guy moved…I couldn't see a damn thing. Everything exploded in front of us and then they were all in some kind of stalemate, and I couldn't follow at all!", –Ayako finished with an odd expression, trying to resemble excitement but closer to disbelief and fear.

"They are the some of the strongest of their groups, people who train specifically to face against each other or those like them. I believe the only other beings capable of winning against them would be Heroic Spirits."- Rin answered, willing to share that detail with her friend. This, however, seemed to only aggravate Ayako more.

"Oh yes, of course. How could I forget!"- the girl exclaimed with her hands in the air- "Apparently the little game we were playing happens to be inspired in reality, and the Servants have actually been part of our lives for about two hundred years. Because knowing that one day those guys are going into a battle royale in my home makes me feel more secure!"- Rin could tell that Ayako had stopped bothering with niceties as her voice went higher and fuller of a cynical tone.

This time Rin said nothing.

She could not blame Ayako for feeling so insecure. Being exposed to so many things of the Moonlit World in one day was bad enough, but the fact that it was so out of her league must have been the worst part for her.

So she let Ayako rant over the situation instead of trying to argue, as nothing she could say would offer relief to the girl at the brink of a mental breakdown.

"What will happen to me now, Rin?"

In spite of the obvious grievance in her friend's voice, Rin didn't offer an immediate response. After another moment of silence there was only one thing she could say in honest reply.

"I don't know, Ayako. In all honesty the easiest solution would have been to make you forget about everything instead of telling you more. But as of now your life has become a part of the Moonlit World, whether we like it or not. Still, we ARE friends, so I will offer you to stay at my home tonight if you-".

"I'll stay here, Tohsaka".

That surprised the Tohsaka heiress.

"What?"

"I already spoke to my parents, telling them that I would be staying in your house for tonight, but I would prefer to sleep here instead. I already told Emiya-kun about it, and I would appreciate if you could go along with the lie for now", -Ayako explained, even as Rin was still coming to terms with the fact that her friend had used her with her family name instead of her own.

"…Are you sure about this, Mitsuzuri?"

She had opted to follow the same pattern and use the family name of her friend as well.

"Tohsaka, I thank you for the concern and I offer an apology for getting you into the park on a whim. But I think this is t only place I can feel secure for tonight. Since I know your hands are tied, I'll do with what I can"- the flat tone of Ayako's voice and the tacit way of accusing her for her inaction stung.

"Ayako, I'm sorry I didn't say anything the second time but- "

"Tohsaka, I get it. You have duties to your family and a difficult position from what I've learned. I'm not going to scream at you and demand why you couldn't say something else, I'm not going to break our friendship either"- Ayako paused for a moment before releasing a sad sigh – "but I need some time to cool down, in the house of the one guy who stuck with me".

For the third time silence took place between them for less than a minute.

Then…

"Good night to you, Mitsuzuri"- Rin finished politely and offering a bow, before making her way to the entrance.

"Good night, Tohsaka"- replied Ayako, before going back to looking at the horizon.

After that, it was a solitary walk home for the Tohsaka Heiress.

Sleep would not come to her until two hours after she went to bed.

Until then, she took out her cellphone and stared at the game that had brought all these problems.

* * *

She decided to take out her cellphone and check on the game.

She had spent some time looking at the floor, then looking at the sky.

She found no way to get rid of her nervousness, of the still remaining fear. So she decided that if the game had brought so much problems, it might as well provide some distraction.

Before she could get started, however, somebody had decided to take a seat beside her.

It was Shirou Emiya, the boy who has stood up for her, declaring his responsibility over her.

He had brought some warm tea with him, and sweets as well.

"Here, I bring something for the night, Mitsuzuri-san"- he offered a small smile, offering the treats he probably prepared himself.

Her stomach grumbled a little, and she decided to just go for it.

It was good.

Very good in fact.

She felt slightly better and she had just tried the food.

"Hey are you using some king of magic to make food this good?"

Emiya looked surprised before making a face of mock anger.

"I'll have you know that I do not use magic to tamper with any ingredient, Mitsuzuri-san. Everything you tried this afternoon, and what you are having now are the results of hard training and a father who made food taste like military rations".

She smiled and kept the charade.

"Oh scary, so scary. I better not piss off the one in charge of breakfast, who knows what revenge he will cook for poor little me"- she had a hand on her chest and her other arm up in her front, leaning slightly so she could make the full gesture of a parody of a damsel in distress.

"Hey now, I wouldn't go with such low tactics just to have the last laugh. But anything else is free game".

"Bring your best game then, Emiya. I'll be sure to show you how I got a perfect student to break from her shell and actually fear my wrath!"

They looked at each other for a few seconds, trying to keep straight faces.

Then they broke into bigger smiles.

…

Her tea cup almost empty, Ayako decided to make the question that was on her mind for so long.

"Why?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did you do it Emiya?"

Why, indeed. From what she saw, from what she heard, from what even Rin told her, Shirou Emiya was another member of the people that used magic, moved way faster than any martial artist or even athlete she had seen, and who had been considering killing her to avoid spilling their secret arts.

Why had he stood for her, even more resolutely than her best friend?

Why had someone who, by his own admission, lacked the skills and power of the man in black stood his ground against the later?

Why had he taken her in?

Shirou looked somewhere else before answering.

"Is it wrong to help someone in need?"

…

Well, certainly no, but he was risking going against the guy who could go toe to toe against three other impossible fighters. And besides, even if she was thankful for his words, didn't he belong to the same group of people as Rin?

"Strout-san was speaking of you as a nuisance, a problem that needed to be removed. From what I can tell that is a sound answer for anyone in the Moonlit World, but for me and I believe for Tohsaka-san as well that was something against our beliefs."

"But Rin didn't stand the same way you did, Emiya"- she countered - "she told me you are another mage just like her, but you are telling me you protected me because it was right to help me. I don't know what to feel about that right now".

Shirou put his cup on the ground before speaking again.

"I don't know Tohsaka-san as a person, and less as a magus. I only found out today that she is the Second Owner in Fuyuki and that the old man and I were living in here without her permission for years. But my old man told me about the way the Moonlit World works, and the basics of the magical families around the world. Being the heir of a family is already hard for those living the life of a magus, but she is also the one responsible for Fuyuki in front of others of the same side.

For Tohsaka-san, it must have been a big pressure to stand for you in face of so many big names, since prestige and upholding the rules of our side are a must for a magus."

Ayako looked down to the floor once more

 _I understand that, but, if that is the case, what does our friendship mean?_

Before she could begin brooding or even express her feelings, Shirou kept talking.

"However, Rin's first reaction was trying to protect you from Strout-san, never forget that. Yes, she made a decision that affected you, and you have all rights to feel anger for that. I felt anger for a moment before I looked at her face. When Strout-san let the matter go and accepted my choice, she gave me a look of relief. She was happy that you were safe, Mitsuzuri-san"

She said nothing, jut biting her lower lip.

"So I don't think you should just end all things with her. I think you should let her make amends, ad be willing to listen to her. In the meantime, I promise that I will protect you, Mitsuzuri-san".

She let out a snort. She couldn't help it.

"So what, are you going to escort me home every day from now on, Emiya?"

"Of course".

 _Eh?_

"Eh?"

"If you feel more secure with someone at your side in your road home tomorrow, I will accompany you. If you need me to stick with you somewhere else, just tell me."

…

"…you're serious about this".

Her hands let go of the now empty cup.

He said nothing but his face remained resolute, no jokes and no hesitation.

"…thank you".

Shirou smiled, a smile so small and yet so reassuring to her.

"There is nothing to thank me, Mitsuzuri-san. I said-"

She proceeded to throw herself at him, surrounding him into an embrace, which he did not immediately return due to the surprise.

"I insist. Thank you Emiya…no, thank you Shirou.

"Mitsuzuri".

"Thank you…thank you, thank you thank you…"

She repeated snuggling her face in his shoulder, her embrace tightening even if not painfully.

"…"

Shirou said nothing this time.

She knew he could feel it all.

Her trembling all but released.

The last remnants of her self-control gone.

The tears that slipped from her face and were probably staining his shirt.

And yet he simply returned the embrace and remained in that position for a while, letting her release all her anxiety and out of her system.

When she felt that it was enough, she awkwardly broke the intimate gesture and offered her own smile.

"Mitzuri-"

"Ayako"- she interrupted- call me Ayako from now on, just like I will call you Shirou.

"…"

"…"

Her smile grew seeing his hesitation, already enjoying the contrast between the guy willing to banter from before and this prudish who insisted on formalities after what he did.

"…Alright then, Ayako".

"That is much better. See? We can begin this whole deal by getting rid of all those pesky formalities, Hero-kun. Now I undertand that you are also part of this mess with the game, so I assume you play as well?"

"Yes, since yesterday actually. I thought that I could find some clue about why I appeared on it and why there were things only I should know about me but nothing has come so far"- she watched him stratch the back of his neck with his right hand, showing some embarrassment.

"Well that is no good. Games are for enjoying before any sort of spy thing, and If you are going to be in charge of my safety, it falls to me to make sure you play for the right reasons. After all that happened today, might as well get our deserved enjoyment from this thing."

* * *

And so, late night came to Fuyuki City.

Two strangers became friends out of an unexpected meeting, while two friends had their bond hurt due to the same event.

Different strangers with power became aware of each others' pressence and of the interest they somehow shared.

And all could agree on two things.

Shirou Emiya had an unnatural talent with cooking that had to be nurtured and enjoyed as much as possible.

And the mysterious game known as Fate Grand Order would be in the center of all the changes to come for the Moonlit World.

Chaos, order, fun.

Who could say for sure?

* * *

 **A/N: Next update is hopefully before the month ends, but is going to take a while. I apologize if the quality of the chapter is not to your liking after all the waiting, I'm trying to keep the game as a part of the story and all ideas on the reviews sound great. But if something creates some drama I believe that should be the focus before allowing the fun to return. Worry not, more conspiracy theories and the rest of the characters are returning for th next chapter.**

 **Also I hate Shinjuku's fights, with all those cheaps NP drains and buffs from the bossess.**

 **Congratulations to anyone that rolled Edmond Dantes.**

 **Do not hesitate to offer constructive criticism as well as ideas, PM if you feel like it.**

 **Have a good week.**


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